Another Ben Moment

Hello dear family,

I believe that over the years you have all become accustomed to what we might term "Ben moments". If this term confuses you, I might associate it with other words like microwave, directions, emergency brake, etc. I recognize that I am not the only one in the family having these unique moments (recall Matt's interpretation of Napalm and Mom's late night show), but they are quite funny when they happen. So, here is another.

Anne's visit was great this weekend. We had a wonderful time together and it was hard to take her to the airport at the end of the visit. It was hard to say good-bye and I wondered how long our farewell would be once we got to the airport... it was thirty seconds. We left for the airport two-and-a-half hours early. We got stuck in traffic on the freeway as everyone was apparently going to an NFL game. I began to worry that we would get there too late. We kept going and I worried also about the gas light that had been on since we had been in traffic. Well, we cleared the traffic with an hour and fifteen minutes before Anne's flight and were back on our way when my car stopped accelerating and starting coasting... We got off at the next exit on the momentum from the freeway and Anne used the GPS to find the nearest gas station... one mile away. We kept coasting until we got within 0.5 miles of the gas station. I got out, put the car in neutral, and asked Anne to take the wheel while I pushed. After pushing the car ten feet up a hill, I realized it would not work. So we put on the emergency brake and I sprinted toward the gas station with my thumb out to possibly get a ride. After covering half the distance, a car pulled over and a nice man offered me a ride to the gas station. He took me back to my car as close as he could (it was on an exit) and wished me luck. I sprinted back to the car where Anne was ready with the gas tank open. We filled it, got in, and were back on the way and we arrived thirty minutes before her flight was supposed to leave.

I know Dad will appreciate hearing that there were two cars that passed me before Craig pulled-over. Craig was a nice black man with glasses and a stutter. He offered to take me and Anne all the way to the airport but when I declined, he dropped me as close to my car as possible, wishing he could do more. He was a good Samaritan for me and Anne yesterday.

So I suppose the moral of the story is that we should fill our gas tanks on Saturday night. And we should always be willing to help someone who forgot this simple concept.

Much love to you all,

Benson